Business Law and Tax Topics with Cooper Levenson (E1507459)

Eric Browndorf chairs the Bankruptcy & Financial Restructuring practice group at Cooper Levenson. Eric has practiced exclusively in banking, creditor’s rights, bankruptcy and commercial litigation since 1984. His clients include unsecured creditors committees, banks, trustees, national and international real estate developers. Examples of his success include the representation of the creditors’ committees in the restructuring proceedings involving the Greate Bay Hotel and Casino, Southern Jersey Airlines and the Claridge Hotel and Casino. He also was a member of the United States Trustee’s private panel of trustees. A prolific author, Eric has written and edited numerous texts for creditors on recovery strategies, including Debt Recovery: Maintaining the Competitive Edge; Bankruptcy: A Source Manual for the Workout Specialist in New Jersey; Creditors Rights: Effective Recovery Strategies After the Bankruptcy Reform Act of 1994; and Debt Recovery Under the New Bankruptcy Act: A Recovery Manual for the Workout Specialist in New Jersey.

William J. Hughes, Jr., Esq. joined the firm of Cooper Levenson as "Of Counsel" in 2002 and became a partner in 2007. His background is rich with experience in a variety of issues related to complex litigation in federal courts. After clerking for the Chief Judge for the Federal Districtof New Jersey and the Chairman of the Federal Judicial Conference, Mr. Hughes was a trial attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice in the Antitrust Division, Computers and Finance Section. During this time, he worked on such high-profile cases as United States v. Microsoft, U.S. v. NASDAq Market Makers and U.S. v. Moody's Rating Services. His dedication and hard work has been recognized by the F.B.I., U.S. Secret Service, Federal Air Marshals, D.E.A., U.S. Marshals and the U.S. Postal Inspectors. Today, he concentrates his work on Complex Commercial Litigation and Federal White-Collar Criminal Defense.

Mr. Hughes is a graduate of Franklin & Marshall College, B.A., 1989, Pi Sigma Alpha National Political Honor Society, the Eagleton Institute of Politics and Public Policy at Rutgers University, M.A. 1991, Rutgers University Law School-Camden, J.D., 1993 and Georgetown Univesity Law Center, LL.M. inTaxation, 1998. He was admitted to practice in New Jersey and Pennsylvania in 1993 and the District of Columbia 1995.

Randolph C. Lafferty, Esq. is a partner in the Atlantic City office of Cooper Levenson. Mr. Lafferty practices primarily in the areas of civil, commercial and general litigation. His practice also includes personal injury work, governmental law, and insurance litigation. Since his admission to the Bar, he has litigated matters throughout the State of New Jersey, in both the Superior Court and Federal Courts, as well as in other jurisdictions.

He has been involved in the improvement of the legal system and the advancement of client/litigant rights through his memberships in the Board of Governors of the American Trial Lawyers Association - New Jersey, the Supreme Court District Ethics Committee, and other organizations. His leadership at the state level includes serving for two years as Chair, of the Legislative Committee of the New Jersey State Bar Association.

Mr. Lafferty earned his A.B. degree, cum laude from Rutgers University in 1976, and his J.D. cum laude from Western New England College School of Law in 1979. He is a member of the American Bar Association and the American Trial Lawyers Association as well as other professional associations.

Russell L. Lichtenstein, Esq. Partner With an impressive collection of favorable jury verdicts in employment matters, Russell L. Lichtenstein is generally regarded as one the most successful and effective management-side employment litigators in New Jersey. He serves as Chairman of the firm’s Employment & Labor and Casino & Hospitality Industry Defense Litigation practice groups. He regularly appears in matters in the state and federal courts of New Jersey and before the administrative agencies which address employment issues. Complementing his employment practice, Russell also has an expertise in traditional labor-law matters including contract negotiation, contact drafting, providing guidance on the daily issues that arise in a unionized workforce and defending Unfair Labor Practice charges before the NLRB.

In the more than 30 years that he has been with Cooper Levenson, Russell has successfully defended cases brought against employers including: the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination, the New Jersey Conscientious Employee Protection Act, the New Jersey Wage and Hour Law, Title VII, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Older Worker Benefit Protect Act, the Americans With Disabilities Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act and the WARN Act.

Russell is rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell* in Labor Law, Employment Law, Employment Litigation. He has been selected for inclusion on the New Jersey “Super Lawyers”** list for fourteen consecutive years in Labor Law, Employment Law, and Employment Litigation, and selected as one of New Jersey’s “Top Attorneys” in the employment litigation field by New Jersey Monthly Magazine in each year they have made that designation from 2004 through the present. Russell is certified by the Supreme Court of New Jersey as a Civil Trial Attorney.

Jill T. Ojserkis, Esq. is a partner in the Atlantic City office of Cooper Levenson. As the Chair of the Healthcare Law Practice Group, she maintains a general healthcare practice on behalf of institutional clients such as hospitals, health systems, medical staffs and ancillary providers. She also represents individual licensed providers and practice groups.

Ms. Ojserkis's client list includes hospitals, health care systems, Medical Staffs, physicians and physician groups, ambulatory surgery facilities, diagnostic imaging centers and ambulatory care facilities. She guides clients through the rapidly-changing landscape of healthcare with the necessary elements of vigilant oversight and open lines of client communication. In addition, her strong background in healthcare and her decades-long relationships within the industry make her more than an advisor to clients – she is relied upon as a trusted team member.

Ms. Ojserkis is a graduate of Boston University (B.A. 1981), the Delaware Law School (Juris Doctor 1984), and the University of Miami (LL.M. Estate Planning 1985). She is admitted to the Bar in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and the U.S. Tax Court.

Michael L. Salad, Esq., LL.M. is a partner in the firm. He concentrates his practice on business transactions, tax matters, probate administration and estate and business planning. Michael holds an LL.M. in Estate Planning and Elder Law.

Michael began his career at Cooper Levenson as a summer clerk in 2009 and 2010. He worked primarily within the tax law arena, concentrating on will drafting and estate and asset protection planning as well as preparing and structuring shareholder agreements, limited liability company operating agreements and partnership agreements. In addition, Michael handles general corporate matters as well as mergers and acquisitions involving corporations, partnerships and limited liability companies. Michael regularly travels between Florida and New Jersey and assists clients from the Northeast who are seeking to change their residency.

Michael has been named to the New Jersey Super Lawyers Rising Stars list for 2016-present, as an Estate Planning and Probate attorney. Michael was recognized as a 2019 "Top 40 under 40" by the AC Weekly Magazine and Atlantic City Jaycees. Twitter @Michael_Salad3